Bridal Deception
by Clow Angel
Summary: NejiNaruNeji. No one really likes arranged marriages and one Hyuuga Neji certainly doesn't. Well, what's a guy to do when your uncle wants you to marry your cousin? Find a fake partner of course. Poor Naruto finds himself 'going steady' with Neji.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** I'm suicidal. I'm already writing MH and I go and start a new fanfic. --; Well, because I'm focused on MH, I won't have a lot of time for this one, but I'll try to update both equally. It'll be hard on me though since I'm a naturally lazy person. I'm kind of like Shikamaru actually, so please excuse me if it takes a long ass time to update. You'll notice that a lot of my fics haven't seen updates in a while but they're not dead either. So, this might be one of those fics sometime in the future. You never know.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and any of this series' characters.

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**Bridal**** Deception – Chapter 01**  
Written by **Clow Angel**

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Hyuuga Neji was a strong, silent, and aloof man. He was a perfect example of a Konoha shinobi. However, now we find him sighing dejectedly and almost unnoticeably in a decidedly uncharacteristic manner. It baffled everyone in the vicinity; everyone being TenTen.

TenTen frowned minutely at her ex-team mate's dejected state. It just wasn't normal. What was even worse was that Neji didn't seem to realize he was doing it. Another small sigh escaped the dark-haired male, and TenTen couldn't take it anymore. "What is wrong?!" she all but screamed, jumping up from her seat. Her raised voice attracted quite a few stares from everyone in the restaurant. They were taking a break from missions for a while and had decided to hang out for a bit at a local family restaurant.

Neji straightened and stared at his lone female ex-team mate with confusion as if his previous depressed state hadn't existed. "What are you talking about, TenTen?" he asked with a perfectly controlled voice.

If she had not seen his posture and expression, TenTen would have been spectacularly fooled. Really, the man should take up acting or something. "You've been sighing non-stop for the past few minutes we've been here, Neji!"

Neji blinked. Had he really? He hadn't even noticed. Damn it, he was slipping. "There was something on my mind," he explained. Hiashi-sama had asked for his presence this afternoon. From the older man's tone of voice the other day, it didn't look to be good news. How did he know? His uncle had sounded 'happy'. His uncle never sounded happy. Ever. Undoubtedly, his uncle was very kind to him now, but in all his life, he had never heard of his uncle sound so happy. Damn, he hated repeating himself. The day will probably turn into a rather bad one. It was a gut feeling and his gut feelings were never wrong.

TenTen sat back down and quirked a single narrow brow. "Oh."

Neji nodded.

"Can you tell me?" TenTen inquired curiously.

He shook his head. A few strands of ebony hair fell loose from behind his hitai-ate and he casually swept it back behind his shoulder. He had taken to leaving his hair untied when he didn't have missions. He didn't know why but one day, he suddenly decided it felt more natural for his hair to be let free.

TenTen admired her friend for a moment, lost in his long dark tresses, light silver eyes, high cheekbones, pale skin, and strong and angular jaw line. He was too beautiful. Looks aside, his voice was amazing; deep and sensual. It was the perfect bed voice. It was amazing he didn't have a girlfriend yet. Once upon a time, she was chasing after him, but he was just too out of reach for her. She groaned. Why was she even thinking about this?

A single eyebrow rose as Neji watched TenTen make faces all the while staring at him as if in a trance. "TenTen?"

"Huh?" She blinked. "Oh." She rested her chin on an open palm, staring intently at Neji.

Neji frowned. "What?" He was starting to get annoyed.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend yet?"

All traces of emotion were wiped from his expression. He stared back, slightly dumbfounded about the sudden question and intrusion into his private affairs. He didn't know what he could say either, so he didn't reply.

"You're attractive, beautiful in fact—"

Neji twitched. "Excuse me?"

"Right, sorry for offending your manliness," TenTen said sarcastically.

He opted for throwing a light glare in her direction.

"No seriously. You need to find a girl and get laid. You're building up so much stress. Not to mention, lately you've been training yourself into the ground."

"I do not need a woman to relieve stress."

"But it's not healthy with just your right hand either," she countered playfully.

"TenTen. We're in a restaurant," he reminded coldly. If he didn't have perfect control over his emotions and expressions, he would've blushed like a school girl. He didn't expect such a conversation to surface during a meal.

TenTen blushed. "Right, sorry."

The arrival of their food stalled the potentially embarrassing conversation. Unfortunately for Neji, he couldn't escape the conversation because after they left the restaurant, TenTen went right back at it.

"I'm not interested in bedding women for stress relief," he said firmly. In fact, he wasn't too keen on bedding women at all.

"Well, aside from the sex, you need a partner to carry half your burdens," said TenTen. "It's unnatural for an attractive person like you to go single for so long."

What seriously brought this on, wondered Neji. He was certain they only agreed to eat together with their old Team Gai, but Lee couldn't make it due to a date with Sakura. So he was stuck with just TenTen, but that gave her no excuse to intrude into his love life. Not that he really had one, but still.

"They may carry half my burdens but I'll end up carrying half theirs as well, won't I? So why bother?" Neji retorted. "I also don't need an annoying female hanging off my arm."

"Oh fine," huffed TenTen. "Well, I'll see you around."

"It's just as well. Hiashi-sama requested my presence this afternoon." Neji nodded once and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

TenTen stared and blinked at the spot where her friend was just seconds ago. She shrugged and continued on her way home thinking of their conversation.

After taking an afternoon walk around the Main House gardens, he appeared before his uncle as requested. What he heard made his world fall around him.

"Pardon, Hiashi-sama?" he asked in a strained voice. He was right. His day had taken a turn for the worst. What kind of sick twisted joke was this?

Hiashi nodded, smiling proudly. It looked so out of place. "That's right. I am offering my eldest daughter to you."

"Did Hinata-sama agree to this?" Neji asked, hoping he didn't sound as choked up as he felt.

"She will be ecstatic to hear of the news. I have observed you interacting with my daughter. She seems content in your presence. You have also been a good influence upon her Shinobi career. Therefore, I can safely entrust her to you."

"But—"

"Unless you have objections?" the older man interrupted. "Is Hinata not good enough for you?" Hiashi's voice took on an offended tone.

"No, of course not," Neji said hastily. "However…" He struggled to think of a plausible excuse to get out of this predicament. He had no problems with Hinata as a person, but she certainly wasn't someone he viewed as a potential wife. Even worse, they were related. He was never too keen on incest. In fact, he couldn't imagine himself married to a woman. Did that mean something, he wondered.

"However?" his uncle prompted.

"I apologize, Hiashi-sama, but I cannot accept Hinata-sama's hand in marriage because," Neji then remembered TenTen and his conversation earlier that day. "I'm already attached," he continued in what he hoped was a convincing tone.

Hiashi's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He had not heard of this before. He had observed his nephew every day for the past few years and did not so much as see a potential girlfriend around him.

Using his uncle's shocked state to his advantage; Neji quickly exited the room before the older man could recover. He quickly left the Hyuuga compound and found his way to the outskirts of Konoha where a sparkling blue lake practically glowed under the setting sun.

Okay, he needed a plan. Hell, he needed a girlfriend! A fake one! The problem was he wasn't attracted to any females at the moment. Or ever. Did that mean he was attracted to men? Neji frowned.

Wait, back up, he told himself. First, he needed to go over the girls in his head. There was Ino who was strong indeed but so fragile, like the flowers she loved. Sakura was just strange. She was pretty in a wild sense, but too violent for his tastes. She was also emotionally fragile. He briefly wondered why Lee was so infatuated with the young woman. Maybe it was the wild beauty thing. Then there was TenTen. He saw her as a younger sister. Granted, if he didn't, she would be the one he'd choose for a wife if given a choice. She was strong both emotionally and as a shinobi if her being ANBU had anything to go by. Still, women were too fragile. He groaned and sat down on the grassy hillside that overlooked the sparkling lake.

Well, if women weren't his thing then perhaps men? He frowned. He'd never actually thought about these things so extensively. He entertained the thought of him being asexual but quickly tossed that aside. Even he didn't find the thought of being single forever appealing. So quite frustrated, Hyuuga Neji mentally went over the men he knew.

Inuzuka Kiba. Too much like a barbarian and had no class. Not the least bit attractive.

Nara Shikamaru. Aside from the laziness, he was one of the few people Neji actually respected. His brain was always topnotch. Not a bad physique either. Actually, Shikamaru was pretty good looking now that he thought about it. Not pale, but not dark, with dark hair. As years passed by, the lazy man had grown considerably taller and had really shaped up.

Aburame Shino. Too Weird.

He sighed and fell back against the grass, staring up at the darkening sky. Suddenly his vision was filled with blonde and blue. He blinked. _Naruto?_

"Naruto?" He blinked again.

"Heya Neji! What're you doing here? I don't normally see you in this area at this time," Naruto said offhandedly and took a seat by the silent Hyuuga.

Neji sat up and took a good look at his friend. He was decked out in full ANBU gear. The only thing not in place was the mask which Naruto held in his hand. He had probably just returned from a mission and didn't feel like reporting back to Hokage-sama yet. Neji took a good long look at his long time friend and found he liked what he saw. Naruto had grown up. A lot. He was easily one of the tallest of their generation now, an impressive feat for someone who was so short in their younger years. His hair was as untamable as always, sticking up every which way, but it gave him a wild, rugged look that suited him perfectly. He had also filled out nicely, gaining muscles in all the right places. His once large blue eyes were narrower now, but the sparkling blue depths were even brighter now. The three scars across each cheek gave him a very feline look. His face had completely lost all the baby fat too. All in all, Uzumaki Naruto was drop dead gorgeous.

Suddenly, Neji felt uncomfortably hot. Oh shit, he was into men. Neji fell onto the grass again and sighed long and loud. It figures he'd figure out his preferences _now_.

Naruto noticed the 'glare' his friend sent his way and shifted uncomfortably. When Neji finally collapsed onto the ground, it was his turn to stare. What had gotten into his friend?

Naruto frowned. "What's wrong? You're never sighing and lazing about under the sunset."

Neji glared at Naruto's obvious attempt at lightening the mood. "I appreciate you trying to help, but it won't work unless you can find me a fake partner."

"What?" Naruto was confused. "A fake partner? As in…" It couldn't be!

"Yes," Neji confirmed.

"I can do it if you're that desperate," Naruto said jokingly.

"Really?" Neji asked hopefully, sitting up and staring intently at his friend.

"Uh—" Naruto blinked, very uncomfortable. Those piercing silver eyes that felt as if they could see right through him didn't help either. He conveniently forgot that the Hyuuga Bloodline Limit did allow them to see through him. "I didn't know you were into men," Naruto said lamely.

"I didn't either until just now," said Neji, every bit serious.

"What? How do you not know that stuff?" asked Naruto, baffled. Most people discovered what their sexual preferences were early in their teens.

"I have never had the time to think about such matters." Neji's stare intensified, looking straight into Naruto's eyes.

"I need your help, Naruto. Unless you're not into men…" Neji trailed off uncertainly.

He felt bad all of a sudden. His friend obviously needed this done for a reason. He couldn't see Neji pulling pranks on anyone; especially not such a serious one. "Well, even if I wasn't into men, I'd still help you out. You're a friend of mine, ya know," said Naruto, smiling reassuringly. "Plus, I swing both ways." Naruto winked.

Neji's cheeks were suddenly feeling kind of hot.

"Aww… Neji-chan is blushing!" Naruto squealed in an uncharacteristic attempt at being girly.

Neji raised a hand and smacked the blonde across the head.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. "How dare you treat your boyfriend so violently!"

Neji couldn't help it. He laughed long and hard.

Naruto smiled. Good, his friend was feeling better. Truthfully, he had been scared shitless to see Neji behaving so strangely. It just wasn't right; as if the world was out of balance.

A little while later, when the sky turned dark and the stars came out to play, Neji filled Naruto in about the entire situation.

"So you're telling me Hinata-chan has no idea she was being engaged to you?"

Neji confirmed it with a grunt.

Naruto sighed. "That's messed up although he probably meant well."

"Yes. I imagine Hinata-sama would be most displeased about the news. She is going steady with Inuzuka after all."

"Yeah, Kiba would be howlin' at the moon for months if your uncle got his way." He threw a playful smirk at Neji. "So, did you tell your uncle you're gay?"

Neji's pale cheeks gained some color at the word. He still wasn't used to the idea of it. "No. I left in my panicked state when he was in shock." Actually, he hadn't realized he was gay when he was speaking with his uncle.

"Oh man…" Naruto face palmed. "Let's talk about this at my place. It's getting chilly out." To make his point, Naruto rubbed his arms and stood up.

"Don't you need to report to Hokage-sama?"

"Meh, she can wait. It's not the first time I've done this."

Neji shook his head. Naruto was so… Naruto.

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Well, that's the first chapter. I don't really know where I'm going with this. I wrote this at 4:00AM. You can't really expect too much. I don't even know where I got this idea from. If the characters have been too OOC, blame it on my lack of sleep. Remember, flames are to be used for roasting my marshmallows or providing me with a good laugh!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** I absolutely love the concept of this fic more and more every second I write it. I am so happy I thought of this. So far, it's been really easy to write and think up of ideas.

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**Bridal**** Deception – Chapter 0****2**  
Written by **Clow Angel  
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"Okay, so I'm agreeing to be your – how did you put it – fake 'partner'." Belatedly, Naruto wondered who on earth called their lover or boyfriend a 'partner' nowadays? Neji was strange that way.

Neji confirmed it with a nod.

"So… how do we do this?"

Neji sighed. "I haven't gotten that far yet," he replied.

"So what? We're just gonna march up to your uncle tomorrow and declare us an official couple? Do we have to prove it?" asked Naruto. "I mean, I've never done this before."

"Have you been with men before?" Neji asked out of the blue. He blinked. He hadn't actually meant to ask. It just kind of slipped.

Naruto rolled his eyes, having picked up on the double meaning of the question. "Duh! I'm a healthy young man. I have needs. Of course I've been with men before. I've been with women too if you want to know. Don't tell me you haven't you know… anyone yet."

Seeing Neji's blank expression, Naruto faltered. "Wait a minute, you haven't?"

Neji said nothing.

"How can you not have?" Naruto screeched, scandalized. "You're fucking hot!"

Neji's cheeks stained crimson. "I don't participate in 'flings' nor do I have the time to be in a relationship." It was oddly flattering being called 'hot' by his possibly best friend.

"You really never even thought about dating?" Naruto couldn't believe it. How did someone (especially a guy) go through their teen years without any sexual interaction? Those were hormonal years! For god's sake, the man was twenty-one! "Were you going to be a monk?"

Neji glared.

Naruto rolled his eyes again and sighed, relaxing on his brand new couch. He had recently moved out of his old ratty apartment into a two-story house. It took a few years of saving up paychecks but it was well worth it in the end. Tsunade-obaa-chan and Ero-Sennin even helped buy new furniture. Sakura and Ino helped with interior designing. Now, his new place was homey and comfortable.

"So, what can and can't I do to you during this 'act' of ours?" asked Naruto.

"…"

"As in, should I kiss you? Hold your hand? Hug you? Hold you?" Naruto smirked and added, "Fuck you?"

Neji's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Naruto, take this seriously."

"I am. You just need to loosen up."

Sometimes, Neji forgot how obnoxious the blonde could be. Sure, he wasn't obnoxiously loud now, but he was obnoxious in so many other ways now. "Feel free to do all of the above except the last."

Naruto pouted. "Awww…"

Seeing Neji's increasing discomfort, Naruto stopped.

"Alright, alright. Sorry. It's just you're too easy to tease. Don't worry about it. I'll help you as best as I can so I'll do my best to act the part." Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Which means you need to act like a boyfriend in love too, Neji."

"…I shall try," Neji said with no small amount of hesitation.

Naruto face palmed. "Ugh…"

Neji watched Naruto, a little uncomfortable with the idea. He had never even gone on a date before. He essentially knew what most dates consisted of; dinner, a movie, or a walk in the park. Still, he had no idea how to actually behave during a date or how to really behave as a boyfriend.

"Naruto, how does one behave when in love or dating?" Neji asked very seriously.

The question was asked in such a serious tone, Naruto couldn't find it in himself to laugh. Instead, he answered. "That's a tough question. I can't really answer it because everyone behaves differently when in love, and I've never been in love before. However, when on a date, you basically try to attract the other person while having fun. You know, it's like getting to know each other better. I can't really explain it better than that, man."

Neji nodded, deep in thought.

Naruto took in Neji's stiff posture, tense shoulders, and carefully schooled expression and made up his mind. "You," he said, pointing a finger at Neji, "and I," he continued and bringing the finger to point at himself, "are going on a date tomorrow." Naruto smirked wickedly at Neji's bewildered expression.

"What…?" Neji croaked.

"You need the experience. While we're on a 'date', I'll try to help you be more at ease playing the role of my boyfriend." Naruto smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring smile. The poor man was freaked out enough as it was.

"I—fine," Neji conceded after a few moments of warring with himself.

"Good. I know you're probably gonna have to answer to your uncle if you go home. You can stay over for a few days if you want until we have everything sorted out and planned."

Neji blinked. He hadn't expected that although truthfully, it would help him a lot. He wasn't quite sure how he would face his uncle.

Naruto smiled sunnily at the stunned Hyuuga. "You're one of my best friends, Neji. I'll help you any way I can."

Neji smiled; truly smiled for the first time that day and said, "Thank you" so warmly, Naruto might have blushed if he didn't have enough control over his features. That was one thing you learned when on ANBU even though there was a mask over your face the entire time.

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TenTen doubled back unsure if her eyes were deceiving her, and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god," she whispered, her hand slowly rising and covering her open mouth. She quickly got over her surprise and ducked behind a wall. Peering cautiously around the corner, she watched with much shock when Neji blushed. It wasn't _that_ unusual for her stoic team mate to go red in the face sometimes because he quite often got frustrated by their ex team leader, Gai. Still, Gai wasn't the cause of it this time. It was a fellow ninja, the loudest of their friends, Naruto who was making the dark-haired man go red. TenTen couldn't tell what exactly it was that caused the rare reaction though, but she could tell that Naruto was in Neji's personal space. No one got that close to Neji's face without getting punched. When it was obvious Neji wasn't going to shove the blonde's nose into his skull, TenTen became quite curious.

She crept silently behind the unlikely pair, and her jaw dropped once again when Naruto took her team mate's hand and led him into a restaurant. _I-is __Neji__ on a _date, TenTen wondered in disbelief, _with __Naruto?_

A few moments later after the pair of friends entered the restaurant, TenTen quickly found a seat in a booth not too far or too close to the pair that gave her a good view of the date. She picked up her menu and peered over the top with narrowed eyes. She watched as they ordered and proceeded to make small talk. When she saw Naruto smile _that_ smile, she knew it; it was a date. How did she know? Naruto _never_ used the 'dead sexy smile' unless he was on a date, and she would know that because it was how he treated her on their many dates a year ago. It was a smile that radiated pure sex and charm. So far, she knew no one who had not succumbed to it. _Aha,_ TenTen cheered mentally. Neji's face flushed so dark, the weapons specialist was afraid her teammate would pass out from the sudden blood rush to his head.

After lunch, Naruto led Neji to the park where lovers usually hung out in the outskirts of Konoha Village. TenTen followed as discreetly as possible. She needed to find out how far they were and how far they were going to satisfy her curiosity. When the pair stopped and sat at a bench, she quickly ducked behind a tree.

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"You know, she's still following us," whispered Naruto, his breath tickling Neji's ear. He had one arm slung around Neji's shoulders, his face leaning unnecessarily close to Neji's own.

"Hn, I noticed. Do you have to be so close?" Neji whispered back, getting a little more than uncomfortable. Sure, Naruto had been invading his personal space the entire day already trying to get him used to the intrusion, but he had never been _this_ close.

"Well, I'm trying to put on a show here so yes." Naruto smirked when Neji's face grew beet red.

"A _show?!"_Neji hissed.

"Shhh…" calmed Naruto, placing a finger over the pale man's lips. "We need witnesses."

"You're just being an exhibitionist," growled Neji, somehow keeping a straight face despite the redness.

"Well, yeah that too, but we actually need witnesses to make this plan work. If no one has seen us together, it creates problems. We need word to travel," explained Naruto.

Neji blinked. "That somehow makes sense. Sense coming from you; now that's something."

Naruto pouted, leaning his blonde head on the brunette's shoulder. "Now you're just being mean."

"Hn."

If possible, Naruto's face leaned in even closer, their noses barely touching. Neji almost went cross-eyed watching Naruto. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you," breathed Naruto.

"Wh—!" Neji's words were suddenly and effectively muffled by Naruto's lips.

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"Oh my god!" TenTen quickly clasped her mouth shut with both hands. She peered over the large tree and sighed in relief when it seemed they hadn't sensed her. Then again, she thought dryly, they were busy at the moment.

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Neji had to fight to keep himself from punching the blonde into oblivion. However, seconds later, all thoughts of brutally beating Naruto into a bloody pulp fled his mind when Naruto forcefully parted his lips with a seeking tongue and did _something_. His mind was completely incoherent five more seconds later. When Naruto's lips finally left his for much needed air an eternity later, Neji wondered how he had ended up lying on the bench with Naruto on top of him and eagerly lapping at his neck and possibly leaving a large amount of suspicious bite marks.

His wandering thoughts once again scattered when Naruto sucked on a particularly sensitive spot below his ears. A moan escaped his lips before he could catch himself. Neji almost wanted to punch Naruto again when he felt warm moist lips smirk against his skin.

When Naruto was sure Neji was nothing but a pile of goo beneath him, he sat back and waited for the raven-haired man to come back down to earth. For the first time in his life, he saw Neji with his guard completely down; he was entranced. It was a beautiful sight. Hair the color of ebony was spread across the bench and touching the grassy terrain beneath them, cheeks were pleasantly flushed, eyes glazed, and wet bruised lips were parted and panting.

"You know, you're drop dead gorgeous when you're like this," said Naruto, grinning cheekily down at Neji.

Neji quickly regained his senses, flushed even redder, and at the last second held himself back from shoving the blonde off of him. "What was that for?" he asked coldly.

"W needed to put on a show," said Naruto. "And I just wanted to kiss you."

"Wha—you—," Neji sputtered.

"Do you even realize you're hot?" asked Naruto, getting up and taking Neji's hand and helping him up into a sitting position. He plopped down next to the man again and took a pale hand into his own.

Neji frowned, doing his best to ignore how good it felt for Naruto to run his fingers over the back of his hand.

"Well, you need to realize you're a hot piece of ass," said Naruto.

"Excuse me?"

"Okay, to put it more politely, you're very good looking."

"I actually know, thank you," he said a little hotly. Whether it seemed like it or not, Neji was proud of his looks, and he wasn't blind. He knew when someone had an interest in him. He just never chose to acknowledge and accept those interests.

"Okay okay, sorry for putting you on the spot like that, but it was a perfect opportunity to let the word get around that we're 'going out'," said Naruto. "TenTen's watching from behind a tree and a dozen or so of Konoha citizens have just witnessed me kiss the daylights out of you. Now, I just need to get you back to my house and everything is set for the next few days."

Neji sighed but nodded anyway, letting the blonde pull him up. They walked hand in hand back to Naruto's house.

Later that night, Neji and Naruto were sitting comfortably on the large couch in Naruto's home discussing the next few steps. So far, it was decided that Naruto would give Neji a copy of the keys to his house so he could be seen going in and out of the house at anytime of the day. Then, they would eat out together as often as possible within the next few days. They would also train together.

"To finish up this plan and make it perfect, we need something else. Just don't kill me for it," said Naruto.

Neji sighed, closing his eyes and going lax against the couch. "What is it?"

"Even in private, we need to act the part."

"I agree," replied Neji.

Naruto blinked. "You do?"

"Yes. I do realize I'm jumpy about people invading my personal space—

"Of five meters," mumbled Naruto.

Neji threw a lazy glare at him which shut the blonde up. "I'm also not used to being touched," he continued.

"Obviously. It's ridiculous how long it took for me to hold your hand without you flinching; two hours! That's not normal!"

Neji refrained from rolling his eyes. What did Naruto really expect? As a shinobi, being touched usually meant grave injuries and possibly death. However, he supposed his case was a little extreme.

"As for anything intimate, I have no experience other than this afternoon," finished Neji. "I need practice," he admitted. A small part of him was looking forward to getting used to intimacy with Naruto. Still, it probably wasn't a good idea to get used to it. They weren't really in a relationship. If he took it as normal even after the act, he would crave for such attention. That would not do.

Naruto rolled his eyes when he noticed Neji was deep in thought. "Yo, you don't need to think about it too much. Just go with the flow, alright? I said I'd help you, and I don't ever go back on my promises."

Neji half smirked, half smiled. "Hn."

Naruto's eyes darkened seeing the sexy expression and leaned forward to capture Neji's lips in a hot kiss. Pulling back a few seconds later when Neji made to protest, he whispered, "practice," before engulfing them again. Really, that half smirk-smile thing was too sexy to be allowed. Damn his libido.

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**Author's Notes:** Okay, that's chapter two. Sorry for the short chapter, guys. I felt that was a good place to end this chapter. Gotta write MH's chapter now. Oh, and please review and let me know what you'd like to see or how I can improve my writing or something. I'd really appreciate it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** It's about bloody time, huh? Ahahaha… Yeah, it certainly took me forever, but be glad I actually finished this chapter before I completed MH's. I'm just really glued to the idea of this fanfic at the moment. While writing MH, I kept thinking of ideas for this little one instead. sweatdrops As a result, MH's chapter still isn't done!

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**Bridal Deception – Chapter 0****3**  
Written by **Clow Angel**  
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A week flew by in a blink of an eye. Neji wondered if it was about time to 'come clean' with his uncle and step out of the closet about his and Naruto's 'relationship'. He idly played with the television remote control, a habit he picked up the past week from being around the blonde too much and with too little to do. Said blonde was now in the process of destroying his brand new kitchen. Neji sighed wondering if it truly was hopeless for Naruto to cook a normal breakfast food that didn't consist of unhealthy ramen noodles. He sighed again when a bright flame tickled the ceiling briefly before Naruto extinguished it with a pot lid.

Naruto growled in frustration, finally giving up and throwing the plate of charred pancakes into the trash before taking off the apron and throwing it on a nearby chair. "I can't do this! I'm not made for this!"

Neji rolled his eyes and pushed Naruto out of the kitchen and donned the plain white apron Naruto discarded. "I'll cook. You... go and make yourself useful doing something other than setting the kitchen on fire."

Naruto frowned and stuck his tongue out at the brunette before rushing out of the kitchen to take an early morning shower.

Well, at least the week of living together proved useful. It was the easiest way to gather information on each other. He noticed quite a few quirks of the blonde and hoped Naruto picked up some things about him too. Otherwise, the entire point of him staying over for so long would have been for nothing.

A soft knock on the door made him halt in his breakfast making. No one visited this early other than Hatake Kakashi, but the perverse Jounin never used the door. Putting his spatula down, he made his way to the door and was met with a pair of eyes very similar to his own. "Hinata-sama...?"

Hinata smiled gently at him. "Neji-nii-san."

"Why are you here?" Neji asked, confused.

"Ino-san said you were here. Father wishes to see you."

Neji's pale eyes narrowed unconsciously, his grip on the door knob tightening. Of course Ino the local gossip queen would know. Then again, he'd be surprised if someone didn't know by now.

"Neji-nii-san? What is wrong? Why did you not return home for a week? Everyone has been worried..."

Wait, Hinata still didn't know? "Hinata-sama, you still don't know?" Neji asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

Hinata straightened; her expression uncharacteristically serious. "What don't I know?"

Neji only stepped aside, inviting his cousin in. Once she was inside, he quickly closed the door and returned to the kitchen to finish making breakfast. "Take a seat at the table," he said over his shoulder.

Hinata wordlessly did as told, patiently waiting for her cousin to start talking. It was a habit of his, she observed. He would always occupy himself with something if it was a matter of importance he needed to speak with her about. It was his way of expressing his nervousness. Strangely, he only did this when he spoke to her. She supposed she should be happy he considered her important enough to get nervous over it. It was a big relief to her when Neji started seeing her for herself for the first time in a long time. She smiled to herself. It was all because of Naruto-kun. The blonde would always be important to her even if he never did return her love for him. She doubted he ever noticed. Still, she would forever love him, even if she wasn't _in love_ with him anymore. The object of her musings dressed in nothing but a towel around his waist appeared around the corner and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"N-Naruto-kun!" she squeaked, going red in the face.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto gaped, highly embarrassed. "Neji! You could've told me we had company!"

Neji only smirked. "That should teach you to prance around with nothing more than a towel."

"Oh shut up," Naruto grumbled before leaping up the stairs to put on some clothes.

The brunette could only chuckle humorously as he set the table and placed three plates of pancakes on the table.

"The truth is, Hinata-sama, we need to speak with you after breakfast. Originally, I planned to tell you myself, but I figured that would be a little unfair to Naruto since he has been with me through the entire ordeal."

Hinata could only nod, having no idea what Neji was talking about. She only concluded that whatever it was, it was important and strange enough to drive him from home.

"I'll go discuss it with Naruto first. Help yourself while you wait."

Hinata smiled encouragingly and watched as her cousin disappeared up the stairs before starting on her plate of pancakes.

Without bothering to knock on the door, Neji entered and shut the door firmly behind him, watching as Naruto struggled to pull a dark tee over his head while somehow rummaging through drawers for socks. "I plan on telling Hinata-sama about Oji-sama's 'proposal' although there is no need for her to know about this act."

"I figured."

Neji nodded and returned to the kitchen leaving Naruto to haphazardly throwing clothes across the room in search of a pair of pants.

Needless to say, Hinata was shocked speechless after the relatively quiet breakfast. Everyone had piled into the living area.

Hinata wrung her hands trying to keep her fidgeting to a minimum. "B-but Kiba-kun and I—"

Naruto sighed. He hated lying to her, but it was necessary. "Yeah, and your dad doesn't know about us either. It's gonna be problematic."

"Well, more than just father doesn't know. You've kept your relationship pretty much under wraps haven't you, Naruto-kun?"

"Well, yeah."

Neji who had remained silent thus far frowned thoughtfully. "Should I meet with Oji-sama tonight, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "Want me to come with you?"

Neji smiled. "That would be appreciated."

Foxy grin in place, Naruto threw an arm casually around Neji's shoulders. "I wouldn't let you face the geezer on your own."

Hinata smiled and got up from the couch. "I need to be going. I have team training in a few minutes. Good luck, Neji-nii-san."

"You too Hinata-sama."

"Hai."

She was gone in seconds.

"Oh my fucking god," groaned Naruto.

Neji blinked in wonderment as Naruto lay boneless in his lap with a hand thrown over his face.

"Naruto?"

"Just being nervous."

Neji remained silent.

"At times like this, I need a distraction."

"Go train," said Neji knowing full well what Naruto meant when he said distraction. Shoving the blonde off his lap, he quickly tried to make his getaway.

"Not so fast."

All it took was a strong tug on a pale arm and Naruto's lips met with an equally pale throat doing his best to leave a mark. Wrapping his arms around the suddenly still Hyuuga, he easily had him trapped above him seeing as Neji didn't put up much of a fight at all, too lost in the pleasure of warm lips and tongue moving against one of his more sensitive spots. Naruto mentally smirked. It took days, but the brunette finally stopped flinching or attacking him every time Naruto touched him. In fact, he observed, Neji was finally allowing himself to simply enjoy the physical contact. But who knew training someone to accept another person's touch would be so tiring and painful? At least it was rewarding.

A groan escaped the Hyuuga, and Naruto smirked against his throat. Yep, definitely rewarding. Neji had a voice just had that unexplainably hot and sexy quality. It really was the perfect bed voice.

"N-Naruto you're insatiable," Neji managed to force the words out of his suddenly dry mouth.

"If that were true, you would've lost your virginity days ago," said Naruto pausing in his ministrations before diving right back into it.

Neji flushed.

Naruto blinked and pulled back, sitting up and could only laugh at the redness of his friend's face.

Neji's eyes immediately narrowed. In retaliation, he grabbed a fistful of vibrant blonde hair and gave a rather forceful tug.

"Ite—"

Naruto's cry of pain was abruptly cut off by a pair of perfect lips against his own and a wet tongue seeking his. Still a muffled groan managed to escape his occupied lips. When another groan escaped the blonde's lips, Neji figured that was enough of playing around that morning. Pulling out of Naruto's now slackened grip, he smirked at Naruto's disheveled appearance.

"Perhaps you should make yourself presentable before you leave," said Neji before turning to the kitchen and doing the dishes.

Naruto gaped and did as suggested. It wouldn't do for the captain of an ANBU team to show up with wrinkled clothing and looking less than impeccable. "Hey, you too you know!"

"My clothes are fine as per usual."

And indeed they were; not a thread out of place and not a wrinkle in sight.

"Wha— how?!"

His temporary housemate remained mysteriously silent.

"You're weird, Neji. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Neji smirked. "I'm afraid you have no right to call me that, Naruto."

- - - - - - -

Naruto was running late. Great, the last thing he wanted was to become another Kakashi-sensei. Slipping his mask on, he sped out the door and headed for the rooftops. When he arrived at the Forest of Death Gate 12, his team was already impatiently waiting for him.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Taichou, why are you late today? That never happens," the only female member of his team said. Although she wore a mask like everyone else, Naruto could feel a mild glare aimed at him from behind it.

"I said sorry already!" Naruto huffed. He stood straight, pulled out a key, and opened Gate 12. "Enough talk. I'm busy later today so I have no time to fool around with you. Today, we train hard. Understood?" he barked.

"Hai!" his team chorused in response.

- - - - - - -

Naruto returned home later that day tired and bruised, but satisfied with his team's progress. He squinted into the darkness, taking off his shoes. That was strange. Neji still wasn't back yet? Come to think of it, he was still home when he left. Shrugging, he flipped the switch on the wall and the lights blinked on.

When Naruto finally went upstairs for a change of clothes, what he saw made him chuckle. He found the missing Hyuuga. In fact, the brunette was fast asleep on his bed fully decked out in his old Jounin uniform oddly enough. He hadn't even bothered to take off his shoes. He must've been tired, concluded Naruto. A stack of papers and a dozen or so notebooks piled neatly on his desk caught his attention. Ah, so Neji was substituting for someone at the Academy. No wonder.

Naruto stripped himself of his stuffy uniform, carefully stowed his mask away and donned something more casual, then sat down in his chair and proceeded to watch the sleeping Hyuuga. Neji really had no idea how delectable he looked sleeping so soundly and peacefully in Naruto's bed. The man was poised and elegant even in his sleep. His movements were kept to a minimum, and he didn't even snore or drool. It was strange, but he couldn't imagine Neji being less than neat. During the first few days of the week, when they slept on the same bed, it was almost like sleeping alone.

Naruto smiled. It would be nice if something really started between them. He was starting to get attached to the aloof Hyuuga. So deep in a daze he was, that he didn't notice when the object of his thoughts was awake and staring right back at him with much confusion.

"Naruto?" Neji frowned when he received no answer; not even a blink. What was wrong with the blonde today?

"Oy, Naruto."

Still no answer.

"Naruto!"

"Eh? Oh. You're awake."

"You just realized that now?" Neji's brow creased. "Is something the matter?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah. Just tired."

"Tired people don't normally stare off into space with a goofy smile," Neji said with a raised brow, "at least, not in my experience."

"Oh shut up," Naruto huffed. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Then we can leave."

"I'll use the bathroom downstairs then." He had intended to take a shower once he got back, but the bed looked so inviting after dealing with overly energetic and eager children who liked nothing more than causing total havoc. He had fallen asleep practically the moment his head hit the pillow.

"Aww…," Naruto whined. "Let's take a shower _together,_" he purred in a fake seductive tone, a single eyebrow arching suggestively. The grin on his face made the blonde's expression even more laughable.

It took a lot of self-control on Neji's part to not laugh. He picked up the set of clothes he had out before falling asleep and calmly stepped out of the room.

"You're no fun!" Naruto pouted.

- - - - - - -

"Neji, what is the meaning of this?" Hyuuga Hiasha demanded, staring with narrowed eyes as Uzumaki Naruto took a kneeling position beside his nephew.

"As you can see, I cannot take Hinata-sama as my wife," Neji said, his voice like fine silk, not a tremor in his tone. He appeared perfectly calm and collected. Inwardly, he was as nervous as one could get in such a situation.

Hiashi could feel his ever present composure slowly crumbling away. "You can't possibly mean—"

He had prepared himself to meet his whoever his nephew was seeing, but he had not expected Uzumaki Naruto to be the one. He had entertained the possibility of him seeing either females or males, but certainly this was unexpected. Of all people, Neji had to be seeing Yondaime's legacy and the only Hokage candidate? He couldn't even find words to describe this situation. This created a somewhat troublesome but not entirely unwelcomed situation.

"Are you serious about this, Neji?"

"Oji-sama?"

"Answer me."

"Hai."

"Uzumaki-san, this may be—"

"Just ask away, Hyuuga-san."

''Hyuuga-san?' What was Naruto thinking addressing the Hyuuga Clan leader like that?' Neji did the mental equivalent of bashing his head against a wall.

"Do you intend to be with my nephew forever?"

That _was _a little awkward, decided Naruto. "I truthfully don't know how to answer that question because I don't know what the future holds. Although I do intend to be with Neji, in the end it may not be the outcome. I can die one day, and he can die. After all, we're both shinobi of Konohagakure. Even if death doesn't come knocking on our doors before our time, our hearts may change. After all, human emotions are complex and fickle."

Hiashi nodded, eyes distant. "You are certainly right, Uzumaki-san. That is the nature of humans. However, I want my nephew and daughter to have a bright future. This clan is my responsibility. I am after all, the leader. Can you not step back?"

Neji opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto raised a hand, effectively silencing him for the time being.

Neji kept his facial expression passive as he observed both Naruto and his uncle. Something was strange. It was unlike his uncle to ask questions. He always told others what to do, never giving much of a choice. For him to ask someone anything was almost unheard of. Given the serious situation they were in, the questions were even more out of character.

"You're willing to sacrifice your daughter and your nephew's happiness for the Clan?" Naruto questioned. When he received nothing but a stern stare, he continued on. "I'm not the leader of some clan so I can't understand what you're going through. It's probably a huge responsibility and all, but I won't let you take away Neji's freedom like that. I promised him when we were mere genin. You were there. You saw our battle. You saw how much pain he was in. I'm not letting him go through that. I won't let Hinata-chan go through it either. Hinata-chan finally found herself. Neji finally found his aims and goals."

"Uzumaki-san, although all of what you said is true, I'm afraid you will need to step back. Neji is a Branch member. He doesn't have a choice but to obey. It does not bring me pleasure doing this, but it is a necessity."

"How's it a necessity?"

"I am not young anymore. Hinata is my eldest daughter. It is her duty to marry and produce heirs as well as become the Leader of the Hyuuga Clan. Without a husband of proper upbringing by her side, she will not be acknowledged."

This was getting stranger by the second. Neji's eyes narrowed a fraction. His Oji-sama was _explaining _himself to Naruto.

Naruto looked like he finally had enough. He stood and stared down at Hiashi with as much anger and frustration as he could muster. "Look Hyuuga-san, Hinata-chan is a great woman. She'll make a wonderful leader. She's kind, gentle, and strong; a wonderful shinobi of Konoha. It doesn't matter who her husband will be, she'll do great. I have faith in her. Neji's been training her, and she's coming along wonderfully. She's even a Jounin now with her own Genin team. What more do you want from her? She spent so much time training, becoming better, for what? She wanted a little acknowledgement from everyone around her, and most importantly you." He paused in his ranting to take a few deep breaths before screaming, "Get off your high horse!"

Naruto spun on his heel and stomped out of the room, slamming the shouji door shut behind him with such force, the frames shook.

Neji watched wide-eyed as Naruto left, torn between running after the blonde and apologizing to his uncle. Opting for the latter, he swiftly turned around and bowed low to his uncle. "Oji-sama, I apologize for—"

"It's alright, Neji."

Instead of angry, his uncle's voice sounded oddly gentle and defeated. Looking up, he was met with a rare sight. His uncle looked bewildered but he was smiling.

"O-oji-sama?"

"You have chosen well."

That was not what he was expecting to hear.

"I—Pardon?" Now it was Neji's turn to adopt a look of complete bewilderment.

"Listen Neji," said Hiashi, looking Neji in the eye to convey how serious his words will be. "Uzumaki Naruto is special. He will be great. He has the backing, the friends, the power, the attitude, and the ability to become something great in the future. If you're by his side, I will be at ease as will most of Konoha's shinobi."

"I'm not sure I understand, Oji-sama."

"One of these days, you'll understand."

- - - - - - -

A/N: Oh boy, I accidentally lengthened this fanfic by at least a dozen of chapters by including the Yondaime's legacy part. sigh Figures I'd go and do something stupid like that. By the way, sorry if there are lots of mistakes in this chapter. I didn't proofread it or anything. I just wrote it and decided to post it right now because it's been ages since the last chapter and you guys are probably waiting.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** After a ridiculously long time, here's chapter four! Yeah, really sorry about that. And to let you guys know, I have a poll in my profile. Please take the time to vote as it will help me loads with forming an update schedule. It always helps to sort out priorities.

**Bridal Deception – Chapter Four**  
by _Clow Angel_

The pair had thought with the Hyuuga head out of the way, they would have some peace. After all, the elder Hyuuga was Neji's largest and most difficult hurdle to overcome, right? Wrong. They had no idea how wrong they were. Just when they were allowed to relax, disaster hit them at full speed. They had even managed to get life to return to a semblance of normalcy. Neji had returned to the Hyuuga Compound, and Naruto returned to living alone. At first, it had taken some getting used to, but it wasn't difficult. After all, that was how life was before the whole farce. They still saw each other during their free time and even occasionally trained together. Eventually, that farce wasn't much of a farce anymore as the time spent with each other nurtured their feelings.

Most of the shinobi population knew of their 'relationship' by now thanks to the gossip mill, but what of those away on missions? …Exactly. They had no clue.

When one Uchiha Sasuke returned to the village after a month-long reconnaissance mission, he was startled at the pieces of gossip that managed to filter through his automatic mental noise block. He had long ago come to terms with the fact that anything that had 'Naruto' in it would manage to get past his many defenses. He immediately lowered his mental barrier and discreetly listened in on a group of gossiping kunoichi with Ino at the center of the small huddle. They were sitting in a tea house snacking on some dango and gossiping without a care. He slid into an empty booth and ordered some tea.

"—with Naruto! I still can't believe it!" a brunette the Uchiha didn't recognize exclaimed excitedly, practically dancing in her seat. He sneered in disdain. What kind of behavior was that?

Ino rolled her light blue eyes dramatically, but giggled. It was the type of giggle Sasuke immediately recognized. It was the type of giggle girls would use when they surrounded him with hungry looks and pawing hands. It was the giggle of an obsessed fan girl. Just what did Naruto do to gain fan girls' attention during the time he was gone?

"How long do you think?" that same brunette asked again.

Sasuke was surprised to see TenTen in the group. He never saw her as the type of girl to join in gossip. In fact, he could grudgingly admit she was one of the shinobi within his age group that he respected for her professionalism and skill. He supposed that even TenTen had her moments. "I don't even know," she muttered, sounding uncharacteristically put out. "And we're on the same team."

A sandy-haired girl with more freckles than should be allowed turned to the platinum blonde. "D'you have any idea?"

"Not a one, but they're hot together! You should've _seen_ the way Naruto kissed him senseless at the park!" she finished the sentence with a high pitched squeal, throwing the other girls into a squealing fit. TenTen sat back calmly however.

Sasuke's brows furrowed, putting the information together. Naruto had kissed someone in public. Naruto had kissed someone from TenTen's team in public. He immediately crossed out Rock Lee. There was no way the dobe would kiss the Eyebrows of Doom. That left the Hyuuga. The dobe kissed the _Hyuuga?_ He abruptly stood at the realization, knocking his chair to the ground with a loud clatter.

The group of girls immediately stopped in their chatter and looked in his direction. Many eyes widened when they saw who it was.

Sasuke ignored their curious stares, threw some money on the table, and quickly left.

The loud shriek of "Oh my god, competition!" that rang behind him as he left almost had him tripping over his own feet.

"Oi dobe!" He knocked loudly on the door, the door shaking under the onslaught of blows. "Dobe, open the fucking door this instant!" He only went home to change, not bothering to even hand in his report before he made his way to Naruto's house.

When the door finally opened, it was the person he least wanted to see that greeted him.

"Uchiha," the Hyuuga greeted neutrally, standing in the doorway with an apron thrown over his everyday clothes.

Hot angry jealousy coursed through the Uchiha's veins at the sight of Neji wearing the apron he had seen adorn Naruto's figure more times than he could count. His hands curled into fists.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked with clenched jaws.

"He's in the showers." If Neji noticed the unusual tenseness in the Uchiha, he didn't comment or show any outward acknowledgement. He never knew what ran through the self-proclaimed avenger's head anyway, but he had a pretty good guess this time.

"Oi Neji! The food's burning!" a familiar voice called from inside.

"Was in the showers," Neji corrected himself before walking hurriedly back inside. "You've got a visitor," he said to Naruto as he passed him.

Sasuke let himself in, shutting the door behind him with a little more force than necessary.

"Oh, hey teme. Welcome back. How'd the mission go?" the blonde asked good-naturedly.

He completely ignored the question and instead advanced on the blonde who was in the middle of pulling a shirt over his head. "When the _hell_ did _this,_" here he pointed in the direction Neji went, "happen?"

A single blonde brow quirked. "A little while after you went on your mission. Why?"

"Why? He's a fucking Hyuuga!" he snarled as if that explained everything. And it really did. Although Neji was a Branch member, he was still a member of the prestigious Hyuuga clan. And Branch member or not, it didn't change the fact that Neji was their precious prodigy. What would the Hyuuga elders say?

As if reading his mind, Naruto replied with an amused, "We got the clan head's blessings."

Sasuke momentarily lost his steam at the unexpected declaration. "You what?" he asked stupidly, completely stumped. "You did? How?"

"No idea. I lost my temper, yelled at him good and stormed out of the room. Then Neji tells me everything's fine and that his uncle gave the okay. No idea what goes through that old geezer's head."

Sasuke was dumbfounded. "It isn't a trap?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nah." The blonde patted his best friend's back. "Wanna have lunch with us? Neji can cook a mean meal!"

Sasuke was quickly getting steamed again. "You _live_ together?" he hissed, one second away from yanking the blonde by his hideous orange shirt and shaking him good.

"Wha? No. Well, not anymore. He moved back home last week."

Even Sasuke had to blink. That made no sense—even coming from the blonde.

"What?"

Naruto smiled widely. "I'll tell you all the details later, not now. We got food we need to eat."

The meal passed in stifling awkward silence. Sasuke grudgingly admitted the food was excellent, which only further enraged him. His scowl grew more pronounced as the meal went on. Anything Naruto tried to say to liven up the atmosphere was met with even heavier silence, if that was at all possible. The blonde swore that at one point, he could see ice and fire clashing when the two dark-haired males' eyes met. After the most uncomfortable meal Naruto had ever sat through, and that was saying something since he often dined with Tsunade and the stuffy council elders, he escaped to the kitchen to wash dishes.

It didn't matter that he had a dishwasher.

With the blonde gone, the atmosphere became even heavier, with sparks almost visibly flying about as the two sized each other up.

Neji decided to break the ice first. "Uchiha."

"Hyuuga," he replied stiffly. "What are your intentions?" he asked after a long silence.

'_My intentions?' _the Hyuuga wondered in amazement._ 'Isn't Naruto the one who randomly dates people?'_

"I assure you I have no ill intentions. Perhaps it's best if you ask Naruto for the details." He didn't want to explain his own embarrassing situation.

"I intend to."

…And silence resumed. It wasn't as if the two were talkative by nature.

…

…

…

"I'm back!" Naruto announced his entrance cheerfully and plopped down next to Neji, throwing an arm around the man. Sasuke _just_ barely managed to keep himself from standing up and ripping the arm off the long-haired Hyuuga. He crossed his arms instead as a physical reminder to keep calm.

"So," he said instead, training his eyes on the blonde's eyes instead of the friendly arm, "How did this happen?"

"Well…" Naruto drawled hesitantly, exchanging a glance with the Hyuuga (which only served to further enrage Sasuke), and proceeded to explain in detail.

Surprise and some disgust ran through the dark-eyed male first. He wouldn't want to be in the situation Neji was in just weeks before. Forced to marry your own cousin? Not that he had any of those left, but still. Then came more anger, at Neji for having asked the blonde for help, Naruto for accepting, or the Hyuuga Clan Head for actually giving the okay, he didn't know, but he was angry. And then the emotions became so jumbled, he all but just gave up identifying them. He'd sort through them later.

"And then in the end, we kinda really started dating, so yeah…"

"I see…" he said slowly, brows drawn together in a contemplating expression.

"So teme, how'd your mission go? You never answered me."

Shit. The mission. He still had to turn in the report. Sasuke quickly stood without a word and made his way to the door and left.

Naruto shook his head fondly. His best friend could be so cute sometimes. "Heh, that guy."

Neji chuckled. "You realize he's jealous right?" he questioned, more amused than anything else. He didn't know what Naruto really thought of Sasuke, but he wasn't feeling too threatened. Yet.

Naruto shrugged, curling up around the pale man. "He's my best friend. I mean, we did go out for about a year, but it didn't feel right. He's like the brother I never had."

Neji allowed the affectionate gesture, wrapping an arm around the blonde, drawing him closer. He didn't voice it out loud, but he didn't think they'd be getting a lot of time to themselves now that the sort-of-last Uchiha was back in the village.

"So wanna go train? I haven't had any missions lately, so I'm getting kinda out of shape."

"Later," he mumbled against Naruto's clothed shoulder. "We just ate."

"Sure."

The pair eventually dozed off, as comfortable as they were, wrapped around each other.

**AN:** And there you go! A short chapter, but I wanted to get something out to you guys. I'll be writing the next chapter soon. Be prepared for a lot of mayhem now that Sasuke's in the picture. I'm tempted to stir things up even more later. I almost feel sorry for Neji and Naruto.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **After forever, here's the next chapter. I'm on an updating spree today it seems. Three stories got updates! O.o Within an hour! It's freaking amazing.

Bridal Deception – Chapter Five  
Written by **Clow Angel**

None of the Konoha shinobi were stupid; that was a known fact. However, it didn't mean they were all at the same level of brightness. Naruto himself was a brilliant captain of the ANBU, however that was when he was on duty. His brilliance as a shinobi was unmatched in his generation. His growth from the upstart, loudmouthed, bright-colored, brat to a serious, tactical leader capable of holding his own against an entire squadron on his own was, to say the least, astounding. Outside of his duties to his village, he was…less observant than most. And everyone knew that as a fact as well. Therefore, it was no surprise Naruto didn't understand why his new boyfriend was suddenly so stressed out and even paranoid.

Neji was more rational than most, and so he didn't blame his boyfriend for not understanding. He didn't take it out on Naruto. He treated the other man as he usually would. He, however, also didn't explain to his confused blonde boyfriend why it was he was tense and irritable. The brunette was unsure how Naruto would take the news. "Your best friend is behaving like he had his favorite toy taken away from him," likely wouldn't go over too well. It wouldn't instigate a fight with the blonde, but the same couldn't be said for the Uchiha who was watching his every move like a hawk. And it could bring up some possibly awkward conversations between himself and Naruto.

And so Neji bore with it - for one month, three days, six hours and 43 seconds, but who was counting?

But even for a man with as bountiful a supply of patience as Neji had could run out, and his virtue meter labeled 'Patience' was hitting the red.

So it was no surprise to anyone but Naruto when Neji snapped and lunged at the Uchiha one afternoon during a Rookie Nine outing which happened to be a picnic. There were various reasons why he had chosen to attack the Uchiha now. For example, Sasuke had shoved himself between the couple the second they took their seats. The dirty looks he was being given didn't help either. The list could go on, but why bother? Neji had snapped, and Naruto could only sit and gape for the first few moments of the fight before he zoned back in to hear…

"Twenty on Neji," Kiba said cockily, throwing some money onto the middle of the blanket.

Naruto's neck nearly snapped with the speed he turned his head, to stare at his friends aghast. His jaw quite literally dropped at the growing pile of money on the blanket, and he stood abruptly when he noticed the entire group gathering in a circle placing bets while Ino took note of them all in a small purple notebook. He shoved the Inuzuka aside and glowered when he noticed even Shikamaru was taking part in it. He gave Shikamaru a confused and disbelieving look. He only received a lazy shrug in return.

"What the hell's going on?" He demanded and ignored the loud crash behind him. Naruto didn't want to know who went flying and didn't have to worry because not seconds later there were the sounds of whipping clothes and fists hitting flesh again. The occasional clashing of weapons rang in the distance as well, but for the time being he was ignoring the violence behind him in favor of focusing his entire attention on the…gathering before him.

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances out of the corners of their eyes before Ino smiled victoriously, and Sakura huffed, obviously annoyed before throwing a few wads of cash at the platinum blonde who happily pocketed them with a cheer - not before counting them of course.

"Oka-ay, would _someone_ explain to me what the _hell's_ going on?" The ANBU captain crossed his arms and tapped a finger against an elbow irritated. "Now preferably," he added when it seemed like no one was forthcoming with any answers.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said, smiling shyly and looking nervously over at Kiba for some reassurance.

"I can't believe you're in this too Hinata-chan," Naruto whined.

The Hyuuga heiress giggled demurely before going on to explain the situation and the betting pool that had been going on since Sasuke's return from his recon mission.

Naruto dropped onto the blanket like a rock in water. "So you're saying everyone's been betting on when Neji was gonna snap and attack Sasuke because the teme's been acting like a possessive asshole?"

"That's one of the bets, but pretty much," Shikamaru said with an unusually large smile on his lips. "And I just won myself a month's worth of salary."

"I can't believe you guys," Naruto groaned, and slapped a hand over his eyes.

It took Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and TenTen to stop the fight. The pair had moved some distance away and were both scaring and awing the civilians with their violent display. And so the four friends hurried to stop it before they could destroy anymore property. Naruto glanced mournfully at a large cherry tree lying on its side, broken in half, and with a large chunk of bark missing thanks to a stray Chidori.

Naruto had both arms wrapped tightly around the now calmer Hyuuga male and was quickly trying to put some distance between the two scowling men. Sasuke was currently being held in place by Shikamaru's Kagemane while Sakura performed a sleeping Jutsu on him.

"Neji, are you calm now?"

"Somewhat," was the cool reply.

It amazed Naruto how Neji's voice could remain unchanged with how tense his entire body was.

"You know you're mine right now, right?" Naruto asked, placing a kiss at the nape of Neji's neck.

"Hn."

Despite the less-than-ideal answer, Naruto smirked against pale skin. He could feel the paler man's shoulders loosen and his muscles slacken in his hold.

"Although with my track record," the blonde continued jokingly, "I can't promise you I'll be yours forever, but I'm yours for now. I won't ever cheat on you either. Uzumaki Naruto doesn't do the whole cheating thing." He was serious, and they both knew it. He really liked Neji right now, but there was no guarantee the attraction they had for each other would remain indefinitely. Being a shinobi, he knew how time could change someone and just the same, how quickly someone could change in the blink of an eye.

"I know."

Finally two words.

"But," Neji sighed, leaning against the blonde behind him, "I'm selfishly hoping you'll be mine forever."

Naruto chuckled. "Same," he replied because it was true now. He wanted Neji now, tomorrow, the day after, and for however long he could. But once again, that was now. Tomorrow, he could be having the hots for Shikamaru or something. He laughed out loud at the thought.

Neji twisted his head slightly to take a good look at his blonde boyfriend, wondering what the hell had exactly set him off now.

"Sorry, I was just thinking, 'What if I suddenly had the hots for Shika tomorrow?'"

Neji sighed, more exasperated than anything else. He had just gotten into a fist fight with the Uchiha over Naruto, and the idiot was now saying something about being attracted to the Nara? "You choose the strangest times for your outbursts. You're lucky I'm the one you're dating or you would've gotten decked."

Naruto shrugged good-naturedly and tightened his hold on Neji. "I was joking."

"Of course you were."

The picnic now ruined, the group split.

Neji and Naruto quietly made their way to Naruto's house. The blonde had every intention of interrogating the older man for his sudden fit of violence towards his best friend. He just didn't understand. An hour later, after having sat down with the Hyuuga and shooting off question after question, he finally understood. And he positively cooed, tackling Neji and enveloping him in a tight hug.

"You're so cute!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning widely.

Baffled, the brunette stared into blonde locks with cocked brows. "I just attacked your best friend out of annoyance and jealousy and you call me cute?"

"Yep! You're adorable," the blonde confirmed, rubbing his head against Neji's shoulder like a kitten.

Neji's eyes looked toward the heavens, wondering and wondering again why it was he had fallen for someone like Naruto.

Well, at least problems were solved. And the couple fell back into their daily routines, forgetting the brawl that had taken place at the park and the betting pool.

Did I say problems solved? Oops, because they certainly weren't.

If anyone knew Uchiha Sasuke—hell, even if one didn't know him—they would know he was one possessive bastard who didn't give up easily. He also hated losing. So when Naruto found Sasuke at his doorstep one afternoon looking like a demon had possessed him, he wasn't the least bit surprised. Instead, he sighed long and loud.

"Teme, are you here to piss off Neji again? Your timing's off. He's at the academy."

Sasuke snorted in contempt and pushed his way into his best friend's house. He stalked over to the couch and sank into the cushioned seats, folding his hands beneath his chin in his classic Uchiha brooding pose.

"Great, you want to talk."

And talk they did, for the first half hour anyway. As usual, with this unusual pair of best friends, it soon escalated into a scuffle. It was this scene that Neji walked in on.

…

The pair rolling around on the floor exchanging blows looked up when the front door opened, watching with somewhat wide eyes at the amused expression adorning Neji's face. The Uchiha had one hand around the blonde's throat and the other raised to deliver a punch. Naruto had one hand wrapped firmly around the raven's left arm and the other hand open and ready to catch the oncoming fist. Both had their mouths open in mid-shout.

"I'm not even going to ask," the brunette said with a shake of his head before making his way to the kitchen. He was positively starving. Taking over for Iruka was insane… How that man could handle two dozen kids high on sugar was beyond him. And they were kids who were learning how to throw sharp pointy objects. He had gained a newfound respect for the man.

"Iruka-sensei says hi," Neji called from the kitchen, remembering the message. "And he asked for you to stop by later for some ramen," he added.

The two best friends broke apart, embarrassed and confused.

Seeing the 'Piss off Hyuuga' tactic wasn't quite working, Uchiha Sasuke left in a puff of smoke leaving behind a bemused couple.


End file.
